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5 Easy Ways to Find Time in Your Busy Schedule

Do you notice when you ask someone the question “How are you?”, most people respond with, “I’m good, but it’s been SO busy“! This could be your answer most of the time as well. The fact is that everyone is BUSY. Busy with work, busy with family, busy with life.

The question we need to solve: How do we find time in our busy schedules, so we can do more of what we want and what we love?

Today, I believe we are busier than women in years past. Many women are juggling being mother’s and growing their careers at the same time. If you work in an office or corporate setting you are most likely doing the job that 3 people would have been responsible for years ago. You probably feel awkward leaving the office on time to get home to your family, while your colleagues without kids are still at their desks. Once you are home, after you’ve made dinner and helped with your kid’s homework you are exhausted.

If you work from home with kids you are just as busy with balancing home and work life. You’re most likely in a push/pull situation where you sometimes have guilt when you’re on your computer, when you feel you could be starting dinner or tidying up the kitchen.

First things first: We need to get rid of the guilt! Stop feeling bad that you can’t do it all. No one can. Period.

Second: Let’s ask ourselves… HOW can we find time in our busy schedules to create meaningful time with our family, our friends and ourselves.

It’s actually quite simple. Are you ready for what I’m about to say?!

We all need to STOP WASTING TIME!

Let me share a little stat with you all before you wonder what the heck I’m going on about…

According to comScore’s 2017 Mobile App Study, the average American adult spent 2.3 hours every day using apps on their smartphones or tablets. That is 16 hours a week spent scrolling. Ouch.

The question I have for you is… How much of this on-screen time have you spent just killing time or using an app when you’re bored?

You’ll be surprised how much time we are wasting on our phones. It may seem like just 5 minutes here and there but that quickly adds up to over 2 hours a day. Not good.

Just imagine how being mindful about your phone usage and many other parts of your day will easily give you back time so you can add some more enjoyment into your life.

Here are 5 Easy Ways for You to Find Time in your busy schedule!

#1. Use your phone less.

No kidding, but can you actually do it?! Try this…

Turn off unnecessary app notifications. I understand if you’re looking for a job and you get a notification that a new job has been posted. This is a notification you might still want to keep, BUT you don’t need to know if it’s your turn to play the next level of Candy Crush. Priorities, right?!

Allocate a specific time to check your phone (emails, updates on social media, etc) – but then put it away. This will help you avoid going back and checking your phone a hundred times a day.

Go out without your phone. Shock/horror! Honestly – you can do it 🙂 I go out without my phone sometimes. There is something freeing about not having my phone on me. The first thing I notice when I don’t have my phone is that my behaviour completely changes. For example: If I go to a coffee shop with my phone, you can bet I’m looking at it while taking a sip of my latte, but without a phone I am opening myself up to different possibilities… having a conversation with someone, simply just watching the world go by or writing in my journal.

Since you will be starring at your screen less you’ll give yourself at least an hour back every day. You can use this time in better ways such as reading, talking to a loved one on the phone or simply just relaxing doing nothing!

Once you get this time back regularly you’ll notice that you actually do have time to add some valuable experiences to your day – like going to the park with your kids, having a bubble bath or going on a date with your spouse.

#2. Stop Multi-tasking.

When we multi-task we think we’re saving time and being more productive, but in actual fact, we are taking longer to complete individual tasks.

So, if we are wasting time multi-tasking that would mean that we can a) create more time by focusing on one task at a time and b) be more mindful in our tasks (and relationships) when we are only focused on one thing.

Makes sense right?!

Not yet convinced? Check out this short TED talk on multi-tasking to give you a little perspective on how ineffective it actually is.

Forget multitasking, try monotasking.

#3. Learn to Say No!

Just imagine that you could say no to more things that you don’t want or don’t need to be doing. This will certainly give you some time back out of your busy schedule. I wrote a post on How to Say No without Feeling Guilty and I encourage you to read this when you have a chance. In today’s society, many of us feel we need to be ‘yes’ people most of this time, but this isn’t good for our life balance.

Get in the habit of saying no so you can say yes to more things that are important to you.

#4. Delegate and/or Outsource

Does it feel like you are doing more than everyone else in your house? It’s time to get help. If you have a family watching you do all the tidying you need to have a conversation with them – now! Perhaps your spouse is getting to relax every night on the couch while you’re on your 4th load of laundry, or your kids are leaving a mess behind wherever they go. If this is you, have the talk and get the other members of your family to commit and agree. It’s their house too and by getting help means you can all spend more quality time TOGETHER.

Another solution, if you have the funds, is to outsource. You could pay to get your house cleaned bi-weekly or get your yard tidied up.

One way many of us can also outsource is to order our groceries online and get home delivery. Think of the time saved here!

#5. Turn the TV Off

Okay. we all love our binge-watching, but do you sometimes find yourself watching a show you don’t even like, just so you can kill time? If this is you, please turn off the TV! I’m sure you can find better things to do with your time. This will give you the chance to pick up a book, get outside or play a board game with the family.

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There are obviously many ways to find time in our days, but I really feel that the above are some of the easiest solutions that will make an impact on your life immediately.

The whole point of finding more time in our busy lives is to take more control and live your life with intention.

Tell me: Have you tried any of the above and is it allowing you to get more time back in your day? If so, how are you using your time more wisely? Leave a comment below…

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Thank you for reminding us of the importance of putting down our phones. We waste so much time mindlessly scrolling through nothing! Also, you are right about letting go of guilt! As moms, we are always taking care of others. We must take care of ourselves as well.

All great tips. I usually always have my phone on me just in case – but I don’t really use it that much. I just never got into the habit, and I’d rather read than watch most TV. But it still seems like there’s not enough time in the day sometimes!

Sounds like you have good balance 🙂 I agree still, there are times we are so (truly) busy that it’s exhausting. That’s when we need to dedicate time (i.e. put it in the calendar) and force ourselves to find a way to do the things we like.

Definitely! Some people in our lives will always ask for help but never give it. Once we know who these people are then we can start saying no to them so we can start saying yes to ourselves and our family.

Yes to all of this! We get so busy doing things that don’t matter that we never have time for the stuff that does. I definitely agree with all of these, especially the final one. We’ve been much more productive as a family since we cut the satellite tv. We still watch a little bit, but not nearly like we did before.

It’s definitely a habit to have it with us all the time, so try in baby steps to leave it in a different room, or go out for 15 minutes without it. You might feel like you lost your arm at first, but I promise it will start to feel natural and worth it!!

Oh I hope you get to make time for yourself Megan. It’s SO important. Try putting a block of time in the calendar for YOU and don’t allow yourself to skip it. It might feel foreign at first, but force yourself. It will feel good!!

Great tips! I often turn my phone to silent for blocks of time and turn it upside down so I can’t see the notifications pop up. I get so much more done. It shocked my kids who are used to constant contact, but I said call the house phone if there is a true emergency, otherwise, I need to be “at work”.

I’m notorious for multitasking and saying yes to everything. Sometimes I just need to step back and gain perspective to make me realize what’s actually important and needs to be done, versus what I do just to make others happy or to say that I’m juggling multiple projects.

Yeah, this is certainly a challenge. One method I use to stop my multitasking is by setting a timer for 15 to 30 minutes (or longer if needed) and complete a task at a time. Give it a try for a few days. I bet it will make you feel really accomplished! As for saying yes – this can be hard. I would say this… try and think about WHO you are saying yes to. Are they there for you as well? If the answer is no, you might want to change who you are saying yes to. Also, don’t forget to say yes to yourself – that means you’ll have to say no to others!

Great tips. I pinned and shared with my followers. I tell people all the time that you have to give yourself permission to say “no”. Normally, the person you say no to, is going to be ok with it, even more than you.

What an awesome post! I find that saying ‘no’ gives you permission to say your best yes! Often, there’s someone better and more equipped to say yes than you, and by saying ‘no’ you give them the opportunity!

This is a great post! I am going to join everyone else in saying, I definitely need to spend less time on my phone! I do find myself scrolling on social media when I’m bored – or putting off a more important task that I’m dreading. The other tips you mention are fantastic as well. I never realized multi-tasking can actually hinder your productivity so much! Thank you for this post!

Yeah, it’s kind of scary if you add up how much time you spend in a day ‘killing time’! We don’t realize it, but we all do it! Yeah, multi-tasking is something our brains won’t even allow us to do. Try setting a timer and completing a task at a time and you’ll get way more accomplished 🙂

I am struggling with time management right now so this was a perfect post to read. I keep the TV off unless it is a special show in the evening. (No DVR so I watch live.) Staying off the phone is hard — but I’m working on that too! I keep a daily “to do” list and try to prioritize the most important things to do first each day.

I have an app that tells you how much you spend on it each day. It also tells you if there is an increase from day to day. For example, if you spent 4 hours and 30 minutes on your phone on Wednesday and you spent 7 hours on your phone on Thursday, it would show that + a notification saying an increase of 2 hours 30 minutes. I think the app could be useful if you spend your time on your phone a lot! Learning to no is an important one!

I need to do better about using my phone less. It’s hard sometimes, especially when my kids are at school or if my fiance is texting me lol Cause then I am always on my phone checking other notifications.

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Hello!

I'm Yolanda. I love tea, food, the outdoors and a good book. I'm a bonus mom to two boys and I just made it official by marrying my soulmate last summer.

PutTheKettleOn.ca explores the feel good ways to live for today. With today's stresses a lot of us think about what we want to have in the future. My goal is to cherish the great things I have right now and make the most of life in the present.

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget, if you need a little self love – put the kettle on!